Side Event to the 33rd FAO Regional Conference for the Near East

Building an effective regional dialogue on food security and nutrition in the Near East and North Africa Region

FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy, 11 May 2016, 14.00 - 15.30

Since 2011 four Regional Multi-stakeholder Workshops on Food Security and Nutrition (RMSWs) have been jointly organized by the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (FAO/RNE) and the Secretariat of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) which comprises FAO, WFP and IFAD. Over the years, the RMSWs have evolved into a platform for policy dialogue that provides an opportunity for member countries, civil society organizations (CSOs), private sector, financial institutions, regional organizations, UN agencies, academia and research institutions to discuss Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) challenges in the region, propose potential solutions, and feed regional-level recommendations into the CFS global processes. As the RMSW moves on to its fifth edition, it is necessary to reflect on previous experience and chart future direction, bearing in mind emerging global frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Agenda

Opening remarks: H.E. Amira Gornass, Chair, Committee on World Food Security

Key points: Chiara Cirulli, Chair, Food Security Officer, CFS Secretariat

Proposed way forward: Mohamed Aw-Dahir, Food Systems Economist, FAO (Cairo); Carlo Scaramella, Regional Deputy Director, WFP (Cairo); Tarek Kotb, Country Programme Manager, IFAD

Regional challenges, priorities and opportunities: Shahira Wahbi, Chief of Sustainable Development & International Cooperation, League of Arab States

Q & A and wrap-up: H.E. Amira Gornass, Chair, Committee on World Food Security